Binding post



Feb. 20, 1934. w. H. B. LAVARACK BINDING POST Filed March 23, 1931 f- 9% ATTORNE meat 1i Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BINDING POST William H. B. Lavarack, Pine Bush, N. Y., as-

signor to Railroad Accessories Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 23, 1931. Serial No. 524,546

2 Claims. (01. 173-259) This invention relates to electrical apparatus, particular physical embodiment selected to illusmore especially to conductor connectors, and partrate the invention, reference will be had to the ticularly to those connectors known as binding accompanying drawing and the several Views posts. thereon in which like characters of reference 6 Those familiar with the electrical arts, and designate like parts throughout the several views. 60

particularly the art of railway signalling, are and in which: aware that many cases present themselves in Figure l is a front elevational view of a terwhicha large number of binding posts, to which minal block with two of my improved binding wires are to be attached, are positioned closely posts in place thereon; Fig. 2 is an elevational .10 adjacent, in fact, so closely together that parend view of the device as shown by Fig. 1; Fig. 3 6.5 ticular care must be taken that no part of the is a top plan view of the device as shown by bare wire or conductor attached to a particular Fig. l, but with some of the parts of one of the binding post comes in contact with any other binding posts removed to more clearly show the binding post. construction; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on 15.1 This difficulty arising from closely spaced bindthe plane indicated by the line IVIV of Fig. 1, L ing posts is rendered worse by the use of flexviewed in the direction of the arrows at the ends ible stranded conductors. Unless extreme care is of the line; Fig. is an exploded view of the taken, one or more of the very thin strands comcharacteristic parts of applicants new binding posing the conductor, connected to a particular post.

gobinding post, are likely to spread and come in In order to illustrate my improved binding post, 7.5 contact with an adjacent binding post. An at- I have shown it as applied to what is known as tempt has been made to meet these difficulties a terminal block. This terminal block consists, with stranded flexible wire conductors by afiixin general, of a base 1, of insulating material ing what is technically known as an eyelet t0 adapted to be fastened to a support as by a screw f the bare end of the wire. This eyelet serves to passed through orifice 2. The member 1 bears 8.0

meet the difficulty in some cases, but the increased two binding posts designated, generally, A and size of the conductors has rendered the eyelet B. Each binding post has a wire or conductor, solution of the diificulty abortive, because due to shown as stranded, as 3 and 4 respectively, conthe increased size of the stranded conductors and nee-ted thereto.

the necessity of keeping the eyelets below a safe Each binding post includes the well known bolt 86 maximum diameter, it is quite impossible to pre- 5 having a head 6 fitting into a recess 7 of the vent some of the strands of the conductor from base so as to prevent turning. A washer 8 and squeezing out beyond the periphery of the eyea nut 9 serve to attach the bolt 5 firmly to the let while the eyelet is being attached to the end base 1. A connector of conducting material, as

3510f the conductor. in the form of an orificed strip 10 electrically 90' In order to provide a remedy for the difiiculconnects post A with post B. All of the parts ties hereinabove enumerated, applicant has deso far described are old and Well known in the vised the present invention. arrangement as shown and described.

A principal object of this invention is the pro- The distinctive and characteristic part of :40. duction of a binding post of such construction applicants invention resides in the means co- 95 that a plurality of such binding posts may be operating with the bolt 5, and directly with the positioned closely adjacent each other at ex- Wire 3. In order to properly connect the large tremely small distances on centers even when a size stranded flexible wire 3 to the bolt 5, applicomparatively large stranded conductor is atcant first places the member 11 upon the bolt tached to the binding post, without any sub- 5. The member 11 may be called an annular 100 stantial danger of loose strands from a conductrough. This member 11 comprises a sleeve 12, tor connected to one binding post spreading out best shown in Fig. 5, surrounded by an annulus and coming in contact with an adjacent binding 13 connected to the sleeve 12 by the bottom wall post. 14. The annulus 13 has a Wire receiving open- Other objects and advantages will appear as mg or cut-away portion 15 having rounded edges W5 the description of the particular physical emforming an opening for the passage into the anbodiment selected to illustrate the invention nulus of the conductor 3.

progresses and the novel features will be par- The member 11 is placed on the bolt, generalticularly pointed out in the appended claims. ly against an abutment, as 9, thereon, the In describing the invention in detail and the stranded conductor 3 of large diameter is then bared of its insulation on the end and formed into an approximate annulus or wire coil as shown in Fig. 3, and this wire annulus laid in the annulus 13 resting on the bottom 14 thereof.

In order to retain the wire 3 in the annulus 13, and cause a proper pressure to be exerted thereon to form a proper electrical contact, the deep, apertured disc 16 just fitting within the trough and specifically within the annulus 13, and around the sleeve 12 is passed over the bolt 5, and pushed down against the annulus or coil of wire.

In order to maintain deep apertured disc 16 in place, a nut 1'7 is used, engaging with the threads 18 of the bolt 5, and preferably, a washer 19 is interposed therebetween.

The binding post provided by applicants invention is such that an extremely large diameter stranded wire conductor as 3 may be used and connected securely to a binding post as A without any danger, whatsoever, that any loose strands can be squeezed out sideways so as to come in contact with another binding post close- 1y adjacent thereto, such as one to the right of binding post A, as shown in Fig. 2.

Although applicant has described the principle and operation of his invention and one particular physical embodiment thereof, nevertheless, it is desired to have it understood that the particular form selected is merely illustrative but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a wire connector binding post of the type including a central threaded bolt, the combination of a metallic sleeve fitting about the bolt, an annulus, formed with a wire receiving aperture, surrounding the sleeve and connected thereto by a bottom wall, an apertured disc fitting around the rod and extending within the annulus with its upper face projecting beyond the annulus, and a nut threaded on the bolt and engaging said upper face of the disc for forcing it downwardly against the wire extending through said aperture and resting on said bottom wall.

2. In a wire connector binding post, the combination of a threaded bolt, a wire-receiving member adapted to slide over the bolt and provided with an annular groove having parallel inner and outer walls, said outer wall being lateral- 1y slotted to receive a wire, an annular disc slidable over said bolt and having a thickness sufficient to extend between said parallel walls with its inner face bearing upon a wire within the groove and its outer face beyond said walls, and a nut threaded on said bolt and adapted to bear upon said outer face to force said lower face against the wire.

WILLIAM H. B. LAVARACK. 

